573 Magazine Nov 2017 - Page 86

words b. noto
pics t. smugala
Business partners Joe Hobbs (JH) and Ronnie Maxwell (RM) are an unlikely
duo. Joe is the hospitality guy with decades of experience. He grew up
in Atlanta where he learned the restaurant business from his parents. He
moved to Cape where he met his wife, Michelle. They moved to South
Florida, then back to Jackson where they and their two kids now reside.
Ronnie is a Jackson High School graduate who married his sweetheart,
Jessica. He is a banker with no restaurant experience, but he has always
been an eternal optimist and wanted to own a business. He and his wife
have two children.
Barrel 131 in Uptown Jackson was not intended to be the higher-end craft
beer, wine, and spirits place that it is today.